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The '''Church of Panagia Ekatontapyliani''' is one of the most significant Byzantine monuments of Greece and is situated in Pirikia, the capital of Paros island, a short distance from its port; east of the old town of Paros. It is one of the oldest Christian temples which is [[temple]]s to be found in Greece. It's real formal name is '''Katapoliani''' from ''kata'' and ''polis'' which mean "towards the city"; or towards the ancient city. Its official, and more common name, ''Ekatontapyliani'', is a creation of 17th seventeenth century scholars who, wanting to give it more worth, named it like the ancient hundred gates of Thebes in Egypt. The church commemorates its main [[feast day]] on [[August 15]].

Many stories circulate regarding the construction of the temple. The more common identifies St. [[Helen]] as the founder. On her way to the [[Holy Land ]] to find the Holy Cross, her boat docked in Paros. Near the port, there was a small temple, and inside this temple she prayed and made a vow that if she should find the Holy Cross, she would build a big large temple on that site. She did find the Holy Cross and fulfilled her vow by building the temple. The other Another story mentions that St. Helen could not fulfill her promise and instructed her son, Emperor [[Constantine the Great]], to do so and he fulfilled her wish. A third version narrates that no temple existed on this site prior to the 6th sixth century. However, Emperor [[Justin I|Justin]] wanted to strengthen the religious sentiment of the island and built the temple.

In c. About 1962, the [[church ]] was renovated by the renowned professor and academic [[Anastasius Orlandos]].<ref>"... From the second decade of the 20th twentieth century men like George Soteriou and Anastasius Orlandos revealed the presence of numerous Early Christian basilicas [[basilica]]s throughout the modern boundaries of the Greek state. [W. Bowden, ''Epirus Vetus'', 22-24; W. H. C. Frend, ''The Archaeology of Early Christianity, a History''. (London 1997), 204-205, 244-245.] The uniformity of these buildings confirmed in the mind of these scholars the relatively relative uniformity of a Christian Greek culture within and perhaps even beyond the boundaries of the modern nation-state during 5th fifth century AD. Moreover, the emphasis reading architecture in Greece as evidence for the development of the Christian liturgy not only established a historical connection between the Early Christian liturgy in Greece and its Middle Byzantine successor but also placed Greece firmly within the liturgical history of both Constantinople and the broader Orthodox world. Thus, the architecture and liturgy of Greece sought not only to define the ancient roots of Greek Christian culture, but also to tie it to the culture of the Orthodox Eastern Mediterranean at the very moment when Greek territorial ambitions had been stifled after the disastrous Asia Minor campaigns of the early 1920s. The terms of debate established by Soteriou and Anastasius Orlandos persisted even as the discipline of Early Christian archaeology passed into the hands of scholars with rather different political views like Demetrius Pallas ..." (from [http://mediterraneanworld.typepad.com/the_archaeology_of_the_me/late_antiquity/index.html Why Hybridity Matters for the Study of Early Christian Greece] by [http://www.und.nodak.edu/instruct/wcaraher/ Bill Caraher] in ''The Archaeology of the Mediterranean World''.)</ref> His research proved that the rightful constructors were indeed Constantine and Helen. He also proved the existence of a temple dating from the 4th fourth century. Professor Orlandos commenced refurbishments of the church which required seven years to complete. This was achieved by 1966.

The entire enclosure is surrounded by a 8.5m high walled fence which has a perimeter of 252m around this large property. The main courtyard in front of the church, measures about 42m by 34m, and is enclosed on the north, west, and south by two rows of cells[[cell]]s. These were constructed during different periods and were completed by the 17th seventeenth century.

East of the courtyard, behind the gardens, are five unenclosed tombs from the 19th nineteenth century. These belong to a notable, wealthy and noble family from Paros who contributed significant financial assistance to the refurbishments of the church and who were also extremely pious Christians. [[w:Manto Mavrogenous|Manto Mavroyenis]], an 1821 [[w:Greek War of Independence|War of Independence]] heroine of Paros, was also buried there in 1848.

A few pillars and a marble foundation, are remnants from a marble building with arcades from the 4th fourth century, which formed the [[atrium ]] of the temple. This is part of the impressive facade of the temple once a worshiper has passed the big three-foiled gates.

On the two of the four spherical triangles, six-winged seraphim are painted on them and there is only one other church in the world with this exact same painting of six-winged seraphim on spherical triangles and that is in [[Hagia Sophia (Constantinople)|St. Sophia of Constantinople]].

:In the northern wall of the temple is the small [[chapel ]] of St. Theoctiste. There is an enclosed tomb which that once contained the [[relics ]] of the [[saint]].

:This chapel measures 19x15m and is situated north of the [[altar ]] of the main temple. It is the oldest chapel, not only of the entire church but of the whole island. Many archaeologists believe that this is the spot that St. [[Helen]] prayed before venturing to find the Holy Cross in Jerusalem.

This gate was brought to the northern wing of the complex by Professor Anastasius (Orlandos during the restorations of the central gate of the Narthex[[narthex]]. The monument gate is rich in marble decoration and consists of two bizarre columns with a corniced pediment and anthemium at the top. These columns are supported on cubical bases with two human comical forms sculpted into them. These forms form the basis of the legend associated with this gate.